JP2014225785A - Image reading control device, image reading control method, and image reading control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce setting load of a user by generating reading conditions of more highly effective images on the basis of the history of read processing.SOLUTION: In an image reading control device for controlling image reading processing which picks up an imaging object by an imaging unit and reads an image, an image reading control method comprises: acquiring format information for identifying a data format of a reading image read and generated by image reading processing; storing reading history information containing setting information for setting quality of the reading image generated by image reading processing according to execution of the image reading processing and format information of the reading image generated by the image reading processing in a storage medium; and referencing the reading history information on the basis of the acquired format information and setting quality of the reading image in the image reading processing in which the format information was acquired on the basis of setting information included in reading history information of the image reading processing executed in the data format identified by the format information.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading control apparatus, an image reading control method, and an image reading control program, and more particularly, to setting of reading conditions used in an image reading process.

  In recent years, there has been a tendency to digitize information, and image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles used for outputting digitized information and scanners used for digitizing documents have become indispensable devices. Such an image processing apparatus is configured as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and a copier by providing an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like. Many.

  When the scanner included in such a multifunction device captures an image of a document and reads an image, the user needs to set a reading condition including setting items such as resolution, reading size, and density of the read image every time. It takes time and effort. Therefore, the set number of values set in each item of the reading condition is calculated from the reading condition setting history in the user's past reading process, and the reading condition is automatically set based on the calculated setting number in each item. It is possible to do. In addition, as a method using a history of reading processing, a display method has been proposed in which the number of transmissions is counted for each transmission destination of a read image so that it is easy to check a transmission destination with a high transmission frequency (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

  However, in the image reading process, the value suitable for each item differs depending on the image quality and the like required for the read image that is read and generated. Therefore, based on the number of times of setting the value of each item of the reading condition as described above. It is highly possible that the desired reading condition is not achieved only by setting the reading condition, and the effectiveness is low. In the technique of Patent Document 1, it is considered to check a transmission destination having a high transmission frequency, but setting of reading conditions is not considered.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to generate a more effective image reading condition based on the reading processing history and to reduce the setting burden on the user. And

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an aspect of the present invention is an image reading control device that controls an image reading process that images an imaging target and reads an image by an imaging unit, and is read and generated by the image reading process. A format information acquisition unit for acquiring format information for specifying the data format of the read image to be set, and for setting the image quality of the read image generated by the image reading process according to the execution of the image reading process A reading history information storage processing unit for storing reading history information including setting information and format information of the read image generated by the image reading processing in a storage medium, and the reading history based on the acquired format information The information is referred to, and based on the setting information included in the reading history information of the image reading process executed in the data format specified by the format information, the format Information, characterized in that it comprises a quality setting unit for setting the image quality of the read image in the obtained image reading processing.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading control method for controlling an image reading process in which an imaging target is imaged by an imaging unit and an image is read, and the reading is generated by being read by the image reading process. Format information for specifying the data format of the image is acquired, and setting information for setting the image quality of the read image generated by the image reading process according to the execution of the image reading process and the image reading process The data format specified by the format information is stored in a storage medium with the read history information including the format information of the read image generated by the reference information, referring to the read history information based on the acquired format information The image quality of the read image in the image reading process in which the format information is acquired based on the setting information included in the reading history information of the image reading process executed in And setting.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading control program for controlling an image reading process in which an imaging target is imaged by an imaging unit and reading an image, and is read and generated by the image reading process. A step of acquiring format information for specifying the data format of the read image; setting information for setting the image quality of the read image generated by the image reading process according to execution of the image reading process; and A step of storing, in a storage medium, reading history information including format information of the read image generated by the image reading processing, and specifying the format information by referring to the reading history information based on the acquired format information An image in which the format information is acquired based on the setting information included in the reading history information of the image reading process executed in the data format Characterized in that to execute the steps in the information processing apparatus for setting the image quality of the scanned image in the preparative process.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to generate a more effective image reading condition based on the history of reading processing, and to reduce the setting burden on the user.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a main control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information contained in user information DB which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information contained in data history DB which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information contained in the setting log | history DB which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the reading condition production | generation process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process history production | generation process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information with which the storage destination folder name and data format which concern on embodiment of this invention were matched. It is a flowchart which shows the data format acquisition process according to the designated information which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | use form of the system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen displayed on the display part of PC which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | use form of the system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) including a scanner function will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a configuration similar to that of a general server, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like.

  That is, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 40, and an I / F 50. 80 is connected. Further, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 60 and an operation unit 70 are connected to the I / F 50. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an engine that executes image forming output and scanning.

  The CPU 10 is a calculation unit and controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 1. The RAM 20 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 10 processes information. The ROM 30 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium and stores a program such as firmware. The HDD 40 is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like. In addition to the HDD, a semiconductor storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) may be used.

  The I / F 50 connects and controls the bus 80 and various hardware and networks. The LCD 60 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit 70 is a user interface for a user to input information to the image forming apparatus 1 such as a keyboard, a mouse, various hard buttons, and a touch panel.

  In such a hardware configuration, a program stored in a storage medium such as the ROM 30, the HDD 40, or an optical disk (not shown) is read into the RAM 20, and the software control unit is configured by the CPU 10 performing calculations according to those programs. . A functional block that realizes the functions of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured by a combination of the software control unit configured as described above and hardware.

  Next, functions of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 100, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 110, a scanner unit 111, a paper discharge tray 112, a display panel 113, and a paper feed table. 114, a print engine 115, a paper discharge tray 116, a network I / F 117, and a near field communication I / F 118.

  The controller 100 includes a main control unit 130, an engine control unit 101, an input / output control unit 102, an image processing unit 103, and an operation display control unit 104. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as a multifunction machine having a scanner unit 111 and a print engine 115. In FIG. 2, the electrical connection is indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of paper is indicated by broken arrows.

  The display panel 113 is an output interface that visually displays the state of the image forming apparatus 1 and is an input when the user directly operates the image forming apparatus 1 or inputs information to the image forming apparatus 1 as a touch panel. It is also an interface (operation unit). The network I / F 117 is an interface for the image forming apparatus 1 to communicate with other devices such as an administrator terminal via the network, and an Ethernet (registered trademark) or a USB interface is used.

  The near field communication I / F 118 is an interface for the image forming apparatus 1 to communicate with other devices by near field wireless communication, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), FeliCa (registered trademark), and the like. The interface is used.

  The controller 100 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, a software control unit and an integrated circuit configured by loading a control program such as firmware stored in a non-volatile storage medium such as the ROM 30 or the HDD 40 into the RAM 20 and performing an operation by the CPU 10 according to the program. The controller 100 is configured by hardware such as the above. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1.

  The main control unit 130 plays a role of controlling each unit included in the controller 100 and gives a command to each unit of the controller 100. The engine control unit 101 serves as a driving unit that controls or drives the print engine 115, the scanner unit 111, and the like. The input / output control unit 102 inputs signals and commands input via the network I / F 117 and the short-range communication I / F 118 to the main control unit 130. The main control unit 130 also controls the input / output control unit 102 to access other devices via the network I / F 117, the near field communication I / F 118, and the network.

  The image processing unit 103 generates drawing information based on image information to be printed out under the control of the main control unit 130. The drawing information is information for drawing an image to be formed in the image forming operation by the print engine 115 as an image forming unit. The image processing unit 103 processes image data input from the scanner unit 111 and generates image data. This image data is information stored in the image forming apparatus 1 as a result of the scanner operation or transmitted to another device via the network I / F 117 or the short-range communication I / F 118. The operation display control unit 104 displays information on the display panel 113 or notifies the main control unit 130 of information input via the display panel 113.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 operates as a printer, first, the input / output control unit 102 receives a print job via the network I / F 117. The input / output control unit 102 transfers the received print job to the main control unit 130. When receiving the print job, the main control unit 130 controls the image processing unit 103 to generate drawing information based on document information or image information included in the print job. When drawing information is generated by the image processing unit 103, the engine control unit 101 executes image formation on a sheet conveyed from the paper feed table 114 based on the generated drawing information. As a specific mode of the print engine 115, an image forming mechanism using an ink jet method, an image forming mechanism using an electrophotographic method, or the like can be used. A document on which an image is formed by the print engine 115 is discharged to a discharge tray 116.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 operates as a scanner, that is, as an image reading control device, operation display control is performed in accordance with a user operation on the display panel 113 or a scan execution instruction input from an external device via the network I / F 117. The unit 104 or the input / output control unit 102 transfers the scan execution signal to the main control unit 130. The main control unit 130 controls the engine control unit 101 based on the received scan execution signal. The engine control unit 101 drives the ADF 110 and conveys the document to be imaged set on the ADF 110 to the scanner unit 111. Further, the engine control unit 101 drives the scanner unit 111 and images a document conveyed from the ADF 110. If no original is set on the ADF 110 and the original is directly set on the scanner unit 111, the scanner unit 111 captures the set original under the control of the engine control unit 101. That is, the scanner unit 111 operates as an imaging unit.

  In the imaging operation, an imaging element such as a CCD included in the scanner unit 111 optically scans the document, and imaging information based on the optical information is generated. The engine control unit 101 transfers the imaging information generated by the scanner unit 111 to the image processing unit 103. The image processing unit 103 generates image information based on the imaging information received from the engine control unit 101 under the control of the main control unit 130. Image information generated by the image processing unit 103 is stored in a storage medium attached to the image forming apparatus 1 such as the HDD 40. The image information generated by the image processing unit 103 is stored in the HDD 40 or the like as it is according to a user instruction, or is transmitted to an external device by the input / output control unit 102 via the network I / F 117 and the short-range communication I / F 118. Sent.

  Further, when the image forming apparatus 1 operates as a copying machine, the image processing unit 103 generates drawing information based on imaging information received by the engine control unit 101 from the scanner unit 111 or image information generated by the image processing unit 103. To do. Based on the drawing information, the engine control unit 101 drives the print engine 115 as in the case of the printer operation.

  In such an image forming apparatus 1, the gist of the present embodiment is to set a more effective reading condition based on a history of reading processing by a scanner. The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment sets reading conditions suitable for the reading process based on the format of image data generated by the reading process and the history of the reading process. Hereinafter, a functional configuration of the main control unit 130 according to the present embodiment will be described as a configuration according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the main control unit 130 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the main control unit 130 according to the present embodiment includes a user information DB 131, an authentication processing unit 132, a data history DB 133, a setting history DB 134, a format information acquisition unit 135, a reading condition setting unit 136, and a history storage process. A section 137 and a processing history generation section 138.

  The user information DB 131 stores user information used for login authentication of each user. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating user information stored in the user information DB 131. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the user information DB 131 stores user information in which “user ID”, “password”, and “user name” are associated with each user. “User ID” indicates identification information for uniquely identifying each user, “Password” indicates authentication information for authenticating the user identified by the user ID, and “User Name” indicates the user's name. Indicates the name.

  The authentication processing unit 132 is based on a user ID and password input via a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the display panel 113 of the image forming apparatus 1 and user information stored in the user information DB 131. User login authentication. Specifically, the authentication processing unit 132 acquires a password corresponding to the input user ID from the user information DB 131. If the acquired password matches the input password, the authentication processing unit 132 performs login authentication for the user. It is assumed that the user ID of the authenticated user is stored in the RAM 20 or the like until logging off.

  In addition to the above-described aspects, the authentication processing may be performed by using an IC (Integrated Circuit) card distributed individually to the user when the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a non-contact card reader. It may be an embodiment performed by reading the data.

  The data history DB 133 stores a history of image data (hereinafter referred to as “data history”) generated by the reading process in the image forming apparatus 1 and stored in the HDD 40 or the like or transmitted to an external apparatus. . FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data history stored in the data history DB 133. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the data history DB 133 stores “processing ID”, “processing date / time”, “user ID”, “file name”, “data format”, “data size”, “processing address” for each reading process. ”And“ storage folder ”are stored.

  “Process ID” indicates identification information for uniquely identifying each reading process, “Processing date and time” indicates the date and time when the reading process identified by the process ID was performed, and “User ID” indicates the reading process. The user ID performed is shown. “File name” indicates the file name of the image data generated by the reading process, “Data size” indicates the size of the image data, and “Data format” indicates the data format of the image data (JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts). Group), PDF (Portable Document Format) and TIFF (Tagged Image File Format). “Processing address” indicates an IP (Internet Protocol) address of the image forming apparatus 1 that has performed the reading process, and “Storage folder” indicates a folder name in which image data is stored.

  The setting history DB 134 stores a history of reading conditions (hereinafter referred to as “setting history”) set when the image forming apparatus 1 performs reading processing. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a setting history stored in the setting history DB 134. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the setting history DB 134 stores “process ID”, “original type” (color mode such as “color”, “monochrome”), “resolution”, “read size”, “ Stores a setting history in which “density” and “original surface” (original surface to be read such as “single-sided” and “double-sided”) are associated with each other. That is, the reading condition indicates setting information including information for setting the image quality of an image generated by the reading process.

  The format information acquisition unit 135 acquires the data format of the image data designated via the GUI for the reading process displayed on the display panel 113 during the reading process, and outputs it to the reading condition setting unit 136. . FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display screen for the reading process displayed on the display panel 113 during the reading process. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the reading conditions, the file name of the image data generated by the reading process, the storage destination of the image data, and the data format of the image data are set via the display screen for the reading process. .

  When the “start” button displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 7 is pressed, the main control unit 130 sends a scan execution signal and the display screen shown in FIG. 7 via the operation display control unit 104. Each piece of information set via is received, and reading processing is started based on the received information. When the “reading condition automatic setting” button displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 7 is pressed, the operation display control unit 104 acquires the reading conditions generated by the reading condition setting unit 136 described later. Displayed on the display panel 113.

  When the “processing history display” button displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 7 is pressed, the operation display control unit 104 acquires the processing history generated by the processing history generation unit 138 described later. It is displayed on the display panel 113. In the initial screen of the display screen shown in FIG. 7, the reading conditions that are initially set may be displayed, or the reading conditions generated by the reading condition setting unit 136 are displayed when the display screen is displayed. Also good.

  When the “reading condition automatic setting” button displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 7 is pressed and the generation of reading conditions is instructed via the operation display control unit 104, the reading condition setting unit 136 Based on the data format input from the information acquisition unit 135, the data history stored in the data history DB 133, and the setting history stored in the setting history DB 134, a reading condition is generated. Hereinafter, the reading condition generation processing by the reading condition setting unit 136 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the reading condition generation process. As shown in FIG. 8, the reading condition setting unit 136 refers to the data history DB 133 and extracts a data history including a user ID stored in the RAM 20 or the like (S800). For example, when the user ID is “u001”, the reading condition setting unit 136 extracts data histories with process IDs “p0001”, “p0003”, and “p0004” from the data histories shown in FIG.

  The reading condition setting unit 136 that has extracted the data history based on the user ID has a specified data format (that is, the data format is set via the display screen shown in FIG. (S801 / YES), a data history including the designated data format is further extracted from the extracted data history (S802). For example, when the designated data format is “JPEG”, the reading condition setting unit 136 has data “p0001” and “p0004” among the data histories with process IDs “p0001”, “p0003”, and “p0004”. Extract history.

  On the other hand, when the data format is not designated (S801 / NO), the reading condition setting unit 136 performs format unselection processing such as displaying a display screen notifying that the data format is not selected on the display panel 113. And the process is terminated (S803).

  The reading condition setting unit 136 that has extracted the data history based on the data format refers to the setting history DB 134 and extracts the setting history including the processing ID of the extracted data history (S804). For example, when the process IDs of the extracted data histories are “p0001” and “p0004”, the reading condition setting unit 136 sets the process IDs “p0001” and “p0004” in the setting histories shown in FIG. Extract history.

  The reading condition setting unit 136 that has extracted the setting history reads the reading condition with the value (setting content) having the highest setting frequency (the most frequently set times) as the value of each item for each setting item included in the extracted setting history. Is generated, and the process is terminated (S805). For example, the reading condition setting unit 136 determines from the extracted setting history that the document type is “color”, the resolution is “200 dpi”, the reading size is “A4”, the density is “automatic”, and the document surface is “double-sided”. Generate reading conditions.

  Further, the reading condition setting unit 136 outputs the reading conditions generated in this way to the operation display control unit 104. As a result, a display screen as shown in FIG. 9 showing the reading conditions generated by the reading condition setting unit 136 is displayed on the display panel 113. When the “setting” button displayed on the display screen illustrated in FIG. 9 is pressed, the reading condition setting unit 136 sets the generated reading condition as a reading condition when performing the reading process. That is, since the reading condition setting unit 136 sets a reading condition including information for setting the image quality of the image generated by the reading process, the reading condition setting unit 136 sets the image quality of the image generated by the reading process. Function.

  The history storage processing unit 137 stores the reading conditions used when performing the reading process in the setting history DB 134. Further, the history storage processing unit 137 stores information including the data format of the image data generated by the reading process in the data history DB 133. That is, the history storage processing unit 137 functions as a reading history information storage processing unit that stores information including reading conditions and data formats in the storage medium as reading history information.

  When the “processing history display” button displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 7 is pressed and the generation of the processing history is instructed via the operation display control unit 104, the processing history generation unit 138 A processing history is generated based on the data history stored in the DB 133 and the setting history stored in the setting history DB 134. The processing history is information associated with information related to image data that has been read and the reading conditions used during the reading process. Hereinafter, the process history generation process by the process history generation unit 138 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the process history generation process. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the processing history generation unit 138 refers to the data history DB 133 and extracts a data history including the user ID stored in the RAM 20 or the like (S1000). For example, when the user ID is “u001”, the processing history generation unit 138 extracts the data history having the processing IDs “p0001”, “p0003”, and “p0004” from the data history shown in FIG.

  The processing history generation unit 138 that extracted the data history refers to the setting history DB 134 and extracts a setting history including the processing ID of the extracted data history (S1001). For example, when the process IDs of the extracted data histories are “p0001”, “p0003”, and “p0004”, the process history generation unit 138 has process IDs “p0001”, “p0001” among the setting histories shown in FIG. The setting history of “p0003” and “p0004” is extracted.

  The processing history generation unit 138 that has extracted the data history and the setting history generates a processing history from the extracted data history and setting history, and ends the processing (S1002). Specifically, the processing history generation unit 138 combines items of the data history and setting history having the same processing ID from the extracted data history and setting history, for example, “processing ID”, “user ID”, “file A processing history including “name”, “processing date / time”, “data format”, “original type”, “resolution”, “reading size”, “density”, and “original surface” is generated.

  Further, the processing history generation unit 138 outputs the processing history generated in this way to the operation display control unit 104. As a result, the processing history generated by the processing history generation unit 138 is displayed on the display panel 113. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing history display screen displayed on the display panel 113. As shown in FIG. 11, a list of processing histories generated by the processing history generation unit 138 is shown on the display screen. When the “Return” button on the display screen shown in FIG. 11 is pressed, a list of processing histories listed before the displayed processing history is displayed, and the “Next” button is pressed. Then, a list of processing histories listed after the displayed processing history is displayed.

  Further, one of the processing histories in the processing history list displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 11 is selected by a user's click operation or the like (in FIG. 11, the selected processing history is hatched. When the “setting” button is pressed, the reading conditions included in the selected processing history are output to the reading condition setting unit 136 via the operation display control unit 104. Before the reading conditions are output to the reading condition setting unit 136, a display screen showing the reading conditions as shown in FIG. 9 may be displayed as a setting confirmation screen.

  The reading condition setting unit 136 performs reading processing on the reading conditions input via the operation display control unit 104 when the “setting” button displayed on the display screen illustrated in FIG. 11 is pressed. Set as reading conditions. That is, the reading conditions used in the past are set again. In the above embodiment, the processing history generated by the processing history generation unit 138 includes all data formats, but the format information acquisition is performed in the same manner as the reading condition generation processing by the reading condition setting unit 136. Only the data format input by the unit 135 may be included.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the setting history of reading conditions used in the past is narrowed down by the data format of the image data to be read, and the reading conditions are generated based on the narrowed setting history. . As a result, reading conditions are generated based on the setting history used when generating image data of the same data format, so more effective reading conditions suitable for the image quality of the image generated by the reading process are set. It is possible to reduce the setting burden on the user. Further, according to the present embodiment, since a setting history used in the past can be used, the setting burden on the user is reduced.

  Note that the image forming apparatus 1 in the above embodiment may be a mobile terminal having a camera that functions as an imaging unit. In this case, the image data generated by the reading process in the image forming apparatus 1 corresponds to the image data generated by being captured by the camera, and the reading conditions in the reading process by the image forming apparatus 1 are captured by the camera. This corresponds to the imaging conditions when converting the image data generated by imaging and the data to be stored in the storage destination.

  In the above embodiment, the reading condition setting unit 136 generates a reading condition in which the most frequently set value for each item is generated from the setting history narrowed down by the data format. As explained. As another aspect, the reading condition setting unit 136 acquires the value with the highest setting frequency of the item set as the priority item from the setting history narrowed down by the data format, and uses the same value as the value acquired in the priority item. From a certain setting history, reading information having a value of the highest setting frequency for each item as a value of each item may be generated.

  For example, the priority item is an item (for example, “resolution”) related to the image quality of an image having a high correlation with the data format used for the reading process. In this case, when the highest setting frequency with respect to the resolution is 200 dpi among the setting histories whose data format is “JPEG”, the reading condition setting unit 136 further narrows down the setting history to the setting history having the resolution of 200 dpi. . Then, the reading condition setting unit 136 generates a reading condition from the narrowed setting history with a value having the highest setting frequency for each item as the value of each item. Thereby, since the reading condition is generated based on the setting history further narrowed down by the item having a high correlation with the data format, it is possible to set a more effective reading condition suitable for the image quality of the image to be read. it can.

  Note that the value of the priority item may not be a value with the highest setting frequency in the setting history narrowed down by the data format, but may be a predetermined value for each data format. In addition, the setting history may be narrowed down based on a plurality of priority items (for example, “resolution” and “density”) related to the image quality of an image having a high correlation with the data format, and a priority order is set for each item. Further, narrowing down of multi-stage setting histories may be performed in descending order of priority.

  As yet another aspect, the reading condition setting unit 136 may set a combination of items having the highest setting frequency as the reading condition instead of the setting frequency for each item. That is, for example, when the combination of the document type is “color”, the resolution is “200 dpi”, the reading size is “A4”, the density is “automatic”, and the document surface is “double-sided”, the combination is most frequently set. Is set as a reading condition. Thereby, since the reading condition is generated by the combination most frequently used in the designated data format, it is possible to set a reading condition with higher effectiveness. A combination of items having the highest setting frequency from the setting history narrowed down by the priority items described above may be set as the reading condition.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the format information acquisition unit 135 directly acquires the data format of the image data generated by the reading process is described as an example. In addition, the data format may be acquired indirectly by acquiring information for specifying the data format and specifying the data format based on the acquired information. For example, when the content and type of data to be stored are determined by the storage location of image data generated by the reading process (for example, the read image data of an invoice is stored in a certain folder, and the estimated data is stored in a certain folder. In many cases, the read image data of the document is stored) and the data format is the same.

  Therefore, for example, when the storage folder name of the image data is specified, the format information acquisition unit 135 acquires the data history including the specified storage folder name among the data histories stored in the data history DB 133. To do. Then, the format information acquisition unit 135 acquires the data format with the highest setting frequency among the data formats included in the acquired data history as the data format used by the reading condition setting unit 136.

  When the data format associated with the storage destination folder name is determined in advance by a table or the like, the format information acquisition unit 135 may acquire the data format from the table or the like. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a table in which a storage destination folder name and a data format are associated with each other. For example, when the storage destination folder name “\ document \ account” is designated, the format information acquisition unit 135 refers to the table shown in FIG. 12 and the data format “PDF” corresponding to the designated storage destination folder name. Is obtained.

  Further, the data history stored in the data history DB 133 may include information on the type of the device that has performed the reading process. For example, when image data is generated by a plurality of types of devices, such as when the image data is generated not only by the image forming apparatus 1 but also by a mobile terminal having a camera as described above, depending on the type of the apparatus It seems that the appropriate data format and image quality are different.

  Therefore, for example, when the type of the device that has performed the reading process is specified, the format information acquisition unit 135 acquires the data history including the specified device type from the data history stored in the data history DB 133. To do. Then, the format information acquisition unit 135 acquires the data format with the highest setting frequency among the data formats included in the acquired data history as the data format used by the reading condition setting unit 136. Note that when the data format associated with the type of device is predetermined by a table or the like, the format information acquisition unit 135 may acquire the data format from the table or the like.

  The data history may include storage means (transmission means) for storing image data in the storage location. For example, the transmission means includes mail, FAX, SMB (Sever Message Block) transfer, and the transmission data size and the like are limited depending on the transmission means. It is done. Therefore, even when the transmission means is designated, the format information acquisition unit 135 may obtain the data format based on the designated transmission means, as in the above-described aspect.

  With such a configuration, even if the user does not specify the data format directly, the data format is specified by specifying other information (format information), and the reading conditions are as effective as when the data format is specified. Can be set.

  Note that the format information acquisition unit 135 may determine which of the setting frequency and the corresponding table is used preferentially according to the specified information when acquiring the data format as described above. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a data format acquisition process corresponding to a specified storage destination folder name. As shown in FIG. 13, the format information acquisition unit 135 acquires the designated storage folder name (S1300).

  The format information acquisition unit 135 that has acquired the storage destination folder name, when the image data stored in the acquired storage destination folder name has a fixed data format (for example, in the folder storing the invoice, the PDF format request) (S1301 / YES), and there is a table as shown in FIG. 12 in which the storage folder name and the data format are associated (S1302 / YES). The data format is acquired with reference to the table (S1303).

  On the other hand, the format information acquisition unit 135 determines that the data format of the image data stored in the acquired storage folder is not fixed (S1301 / NO) or the data format is fixed but no corresponding table exists (S1302). / NO) acquires the data format based on the setting frequency as described above (S1304). It is assumed that whether or not the data format of the image data stored in the storage destination folder is fixed is determined in advance by a storage destination folder list having a fixed data format.

  Further, as a process after reading, a setting for performing data division or compression at the time of data transmission may be added according to the data size included in the data history shown in FIG. As a result, the data can be processed so as to have a data size suitable for the case of using a transmission means such as an e-mail with a limited transmission data size, without being specified by the user.

  In the reading condition generation process illustrated in FIG. 8 and the process history generation process illustrated in FIG. 10, the narrowing of the data history by the user ID may be omitted as appropriate. In that case, user authentication processing by the authentication processing unit 132 can also be omitted.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described as an example in which the reading conditions are set, the processing history is confirmed, and the reading processing operation is performed via the display screen displayed on the display panel 113 of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, these display screens may be displayed on the display of the PC 2 connected to the image forming apparatus 1 via a network.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a management screen displayed on the display of the PC 2. The management screen is a screen for performing the above-described reading condition generation and processing history confirmation. The management screen is displayed, for example, when the image forming apparatus 1 performs user login authentication based on the user ID and password input via the login screen displayed on the display of the PC 2. In the case of the mode shown in FIG. 15, the processing history generated by the processing history generation unit 138 is transmitted to the PC 2 via the network I / F 117, and the transmitted processing history is controlled by a display control unit (not shown) of the PC 2. It appears on the display.

  Further, when the data format is selected from the data format pull-down shown in FIG. 15 and the “most frequently set reading condition display” button is pressed, the selected data format is imaged via the network I / F (not shown) of the PC 2. It is transmitted to the forming apparatus 1. Then, the reading condition generated by the reading condition setting unit 136 based on the transmitted data format is transmitted to the PC 2 via the network I / F 117, and the transmitted reading condition is displayed on the display of the PC 2. .

  Further, when the date is specified by the pull-down shown in FIG. 15 and the “display history” button is pressed, the processing history after the specified date is displayed in the processing history list. . When the “update history information” button is pressed, the display is updated to the latest processing history generated by the processing history generation unit 138. When one of the processing histories in the processing history list displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 15 is selected by a user's click operation or the like, the storage location of the image data is displayed. For example, FIG. When the “data acquisition” button shown is pressed, the PC 2 accesses the storage location and acquires image data.

  In addition, the management screen displayed on the display of the PC 2 can not only check the processing history and the generated reading conditions, but can also instruct the image forming apparatus 1 to start the reading process based on the generated reading conditions. You may do it. With such a configuration, it is possible to set a reading condition and start a reading process from a device installed at a location distant from the installation location of the image forming apparatus 1 such as a user's own PC. In addition, even in a device that does not have a mechanism for displaying a screen, such as a portable scanner, the reading conditions and the processing history can be confirmed.

  The management screen shown in FIG. 15 displays the history and the like regarding the reading processing by the user who has been authenticated for login on the initial screen, but displays the history and the like regarding the reading processing of all users according to the user's instruction. You may do it. Further, when logging in in the administrator mode with the administrator ID and password of the image forming apparatus 1 instead of an individual user ID, the PC 2 can acquire image data read by all users who use the image forming apparatus 1 It is good. The PC 2 may be a portable information processing terminal (mobile terminal) such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

  In the above embodiment, the case where history information such as a data history and a setting history is stored in the image forming apparatus 1 has been described as an example. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, a server 3 that can be accessed via a network from n image forming apparatuses 1-1 to 1-n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 1) is provided. 3 may be stored. In the case of the mode shown in FIG. 16, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 1 can refer to common history information. Therefore, regardless of which image forming apparatus 1 performs reading processing, based on the common history information. Thus, it is possible to set a reading condition suitable for the image quality of the image generated by the reading process. Moreover, the aspect shown in FIG. 16 may include the PC 2 shown in FIG.

1 Image forming apparatus 2 PC
3 Server 10 CPU
20 RAM
30 ROM
40 HDD
50 I / F
60 LCD
70 Operation Unit 80 Bus 100 Controller 101 Engine Control Unit 102 Input / Output Control Unit 103 Image Processing Unit 104 Operation Display Control Unit 110 ADF
111 Scanner Unit 112 Paper Discharge Tray 113 Display Panel 114 Paper Feed Table 115 Print Engine 116 Paper Discharge Tray 117 Network I / F
118 Short range communication I / F
130 Main Control Unit 131 User Information DB
132 Authentication processing unit 133 Data history DB
134 Setting history DB
135 Format Information Acquisition Unit 136 Reading Condition Setting Unit 137 History Storage Processing Unit 138 Processing History Generation Unit

JP 2012-95004 A

Claims (9)

An image reading control device that controls an image reading process of reading an image by imaging an imaging target by an imaging unit,
A format information acquisition unit that acquires format information for specifying a data format of a read image that is read and generated by the image reading process;
A reading history including setting information for setting image quality of the read image generated by the image reading process and format information of the read image generated by the image reading process according to the execution of the image reading process A reading history information storage processing unit for storing information in a storage medium;
Based on the setting information included in the reading history information of the image reading process executed in the data format specified by the format information with reference to the reading history information based on the acquired format information. An image reading control apparatus, comprising: an image quality setting unit configured to set an image quality of the read image in the image reading process from which information is acquired. The image quality setting unit
For each setting item included in the setting information of the reading history information, specify the setting content with the highest setting frequency,
The image reading control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image quality of the read image in an image reading process in which the format information is acquired is set based on the specified setting content. The image quality setting unit
Specify the setting content with the highest setting frequency in the combination of setting items included in the setting information of the reading history information,
The image reading control according to claim 1, wherein the image quality of the read image in the image reading process in which the format information is acquired is set based on a combination of the setting items including the specified setting content. apparatus. The image quality setting unit
In the predetermined setting item included in the setting information of the reading history information, specify the setting content with the highest setting frequency,
Among the reading history information, obtain the reading history information of the setting information including the predetermined setting item indicating the specified setting content,
For each setting item included in the setting information of the acquired reading history information, specify the setting content with the highest setting frequency,
The image reading control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image quality of the read image in an image reading process in which the format information is acquired is set based on the specified setting content. The image quality setting unit
In the predetermined setting item included in the setting information of the reading history information, specify the setting content with the highest setting frequency,
Among the reading history information, obtain the reading history information of the setting information including the predetermined setting item indicating the specified setting content,
Specify the setting content with the highest setting frequency in the combination of setting items included in the setting information of the acquired reading history information,
The image reading control according to claim 1, wherein the image quality of the read image in the image reading process in which the format information is acquired is set based on a combination of the setting items including the specified setting content. apparatus. The image reading control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined setting item is an item related to an image quality of the read image. The image quality setting unit is based on the setting information included in the reading history information of the image reading process executed in the data format specified by the format information by the user who executes the image reading process for reading the read image. The image reading control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image quality of the read image in the image reading process in which the format information is acquired is set. An image reading control method for controlling an image reading process of reading an image by imaging an imaging target by an imaging unit,
Obtaining format information for specifying a data format of a read image generated by being read by the image reading process;
A reading history including setting information for setting image quality of the read image generated by the image reading process and format information of the read image generated by the image reading process according to the execution of the image reading process Store information in a storage medium,
Based on the setting information included in the reading history information of the image reading process executed in the data format specified by the format information with reference to the reading history information based on the acquired format information. An image reading control method, comprising: setting an image quality of the read image in an image reading process from which information is acquired. An image reading control program for controlling an image reading process for reading an image by imaging an imaging target by an imaging unit,
Obtaining format information for specifying a data format of a read image read and generated by the image reading process;
A reading history including setting information for setting image quality of the read image generated by the image reading process and format information of the read image generated by the image reading process according to the execution of the image reading process Storing information in a storage medium;
Based on the setting information included in the reading history information of the image reading process executed in the data format specified by the format information with reference to the reading history information based on the acquired format information. An image reading control program causing an information processing apparatus to execute a step of setting an image quality of the read image in an image reading process from which information is acquired.